Angela Nogueira Neves Betanho Campana

The Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale: initial examination of its factor structure and correlates among Brazilian adults.

The present study conducted a preliminary examination of the psychometric properties of a recently developed Portuguese translation of the Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale (ACSS; Henderson-King & Henderson-King, 2005). A total of 311 Brazilian adults completed the ACSS along with Portuguese translations of measures of actual-ideal body weight discrepancy, body appreciation, sociocultural attitudes toward appearance, and demographics. Results showed that the Portuguese ACSS reduced to a three-factor solution consisting of the Intrapersonal, Social, and Consider factors uncovered in the original work using the ACSS. Moreover, there were only small sex differences on these subscales. In addition, the Portuguese ACSS showed a good pattern of convergent validity. The availability of the Portuguese ACSS is expected to stimulate more in-depth, quantitative research on attitudes toward cosmetic surgery within the Brazilian context.

Translation and validation of the Body Image Avoidance Questionnaire (BIAQ) for the Portuguese language in Brazil

Brazilian researchers have not been provided with instruments with which to investigate body image avoidance behaviors. The aim of this study was to translate and validate the Body Image Avoidance Questionnaire (BIAQ) for Brazil. The translation, synthesis, back-translation, Brazilian questionnaire formulation, and pretest were carried out in the first phase of the study. The study of the scale’s psychometric properties was conducted in the second phase of the study. Brazilian BIAQ has 13 items and good adjustment indexes. There was a greater adherence to the sampling data in the model in which the avoidance of body image is maintained by control strategies, by the refusal of body exposure, and by strategies that accommodate tension. This work is expected to enable the comparison of international data and the performance of multicultural studies on body avoidance behavior, expanding research possibilities in Brazil and worldwide.

Avaliação perceptiva da imagem corporal: história, reconceituação e perspectivas para o Brasil

La investigacion en imagen del cuerpo ha estado creciendo en gran numero en el Brasil. Sin embargo, la evaluacion de la dimension de la percepcion de la imagen corporal es area poco explorada. La finalidad de este articulo es repasar criticamente la historia, las caracteristicas, los factores de intervencion de evaluacion de la percepcion y presentar perspectivas para el Brasil.

An initial psychometric evaluation and exploratory cross-sectional study of the Body Checking Questionnaire among Brazilian women

Body checking is considered an expression of an excessive preoccupation with appearance. The first aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a Brazilian Portuguese version of the Body Checking Questionnaire (BCQ). Additionally, we wanted to examine the questionnaire’s associations with body avoidance behaviour, body mass index, dietary habits, and the intensity, frequency, and length of physical exercise. Finally, we also examined the differences between the total BCQ score and the individual BCQ factor scores. Differences between active and sedentary persons and between non-dieters and those on weight-loss diets were also analyzed. For the psychometric study, 546 female public university students from four different courses were surveyed. Two minor samples of university students and eating disorders women were also recruited. In the second part of the study, 403 women were recruited from weight-loss programs, gyms, and a university. All participants were verbally invited to participate in the research and voluntarily took part. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit to the original model of the Brazilian BCQ that retained all 23 items. Satisfactory evidence of construct validity and internal consistency were also generated through analysis of factor loadings, t-values, Cronbach’s alpha, and construct reliability tests. The results also showed associations among body checking and body avoidance, body satisfaction, social anxiety, body mass index, and the frequency and intensity of physical exercise. Significant differences were found between non-dieters and weight-loss dieters for all BCQ factors and the total BCQ score. For physically active and sedentary persons, a significant difference was only observed for idiosyncratic checking behaviour. In conclusion, the BCQ appears to be a valid and reliable scale for Brazilian research, and the associations and differences found in this study suggest that women at gyms and especially in weight-loss programs should be targeted for future body checking studies.

Preocupação e insatisfação com o corpo, checagem e evitação corporal em pessoas com transtornos alimentares

The aim of this study was to investigate aspects of body image in a sample of people with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and eating disorder not otherwise specified. The sample was composed of 14 volunteers, cared for by the Eating Disorders Outpatients Clinic, from Universidade Estadual de Campinas. The Software for Perceptual Assessment (SPA) assesses body dissatisfaction. The variables body concern, checking behavior and avoidance behavior were assessed by the Body Shape Questionnaire, Body Checking Questionnaire and Body Image Avoidance Questionnaire, in this order. The descriptive analysis and correlations indicate high levels of dissatisfaction, checking behavior, avoidance behavior, and concern over the body, with significant associations. These findings showed the importance of the investigated parameters for the dynamic of the disease. Knowing these body image components could expand the possibilities of understanding how these patients organize their body representations and carefully plan interventions during the course of the treatment.El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar los aspectos del imagen corporal en una muestra de personas con anorexia nerviosa, bulimia nerviosa y trastorno alimenticio no especificado. La muestra estuvo compuesta por catorce voluntarios, atendidos por la Clinica de Trastornos Alimenticios de la Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brasil. Se utilizo el Software de Avaliacao Perceptiva para evaluar la insatisfaccion corporal. Las variables preocupacion con cuerpo, control y conducta de evitacion fueron evaluadas con el Body Shape Questionnaire, Body Checking Questionnaire y Body Image Avoidance Questionnaire, en esta orden. El analisis descriptivo y las correlaciones mostraron altos niveles de insatisfaccion, conducta de evitacion y control, preocupacion con el cuerpo, con asociaciones significativas. Estos resultados demuestran la importancia de los parametros investigados en la dinamica de la enfermedad. Conocer estos componentes del imagen corporal podria aumentar las posibilidades de la comprension de como la representacion del cuerpo se organiza para estos pacientes y planificar cuidadosamente las intervenciones en el curso del tratamiento.

Associações e diferenças entre homens e mulheres na aceitação de cirurgia plástica estética no Brasil

BACKGROUND: Brazil ranks third among all countries in the number of cosmetic plastic surgery procedures performed per year. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between acceptance of plastic surgery and bodily satisfaction, internalization of media messages, and other psychosocial variables in a convenience sample of male and female Brazilian adults. METHODS: Non-probabilistic sampling was used to select a sample (n = 198) of an equal number of men and women for voluntary participation. All participants completed 5 study instruments that collected data used to perform correlation and variance analyses at a 95% level of significance. RESULTS: A significant association between acceptance of cosmetic plastic surgery and the variables of internalization of media messages and bodily appreciation was found in both sexes. A significant association between acceptance of cosmetic plastic surgery and life satisfaction was found only in women. Except for differences regarding the decision to undergo surgery after having considered the risks, no other differences regarding the acceptance of cosmetic plastic surgery in general were found between men and women. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the small sample examined in this study, the findings largely accord with international observations and are expected to contribute to further understanding of the demand for cosmetic plastic surgery in Brazil.

Development and Validation of the Self-Acceptance Scale for Persons with Early Blindness: The SAS-EB

Investigations of self-acceptance are critical to understanding the development and maintenance of psychological health. However, valid and reliable instruments for measuring self-acceptance in persons with early blindness have yet to be developed. The current research describes three studies designed to develop and validate the Self-acceptance Scale for Persons with Early Blindness (SAS-EB). In Study 1, we developed the initial item pool. Thirty-three items were generated, based on data from specialized literature and from 2 focus groups. Items were organized in a three-factor structure, theoretically predicted for SAS-EB - (1) body acceptance, (2) self-protection from social stigmas, and (3) feeling and believing in ones capacities. In Study 2, information obtained from a panel of 9 experts and 22 persons with early blindness representing the target population was used to refine the initial item pool, generating a new pool of 27 items. In Study 3, 318 persons with early blindness (141 women and 177 men), between 18 and 60 years of age (M = 37.74 years, SD = 12.37) answered the new pool of 27 items. After the elimination of 9 items using confirmatory factor analysis, we confirmed the theoretical three-factor structure of the SAS-EB. Study 3 also provided support for the scales internal consistency and construct validity. Finally, the psychometric properties of the SAS-EB, its utility, and its limitations are discussed along with considerations for future research.

Initial Evidence of the Reliability and Validity of a Three-Dimensional Body Rating Scale for the Congenitally Blind

Research on body dissatisfaction has grown significantly. However, valid and reliable instruments for measuring body dissatisfaction in the congenitally blind have yet to be developed. In three studies, we report on development, test-retest reliability, and concurrent and content validity of the Three-dimensional Body Rating Scale (3BRS) for the congenitally blind. In Study 1, 58 people with congenital blindness (28 women, 30 men; M age = 36.7, SD = 13.1) numerically ordered models of the 3BRS and models of the Two-dimensional Body Rating Scale (2BRS), from very thin to the very fat. In Study 2, the construct validity and reliability of the 3BRS was assessed. The same participants from Study 1 chose the 3BRS model that represented their ideal body and the 3BRS model that represented their actual body. Two weeks later, a re-test was done. In Study 3, 16 experts judged the content validity of the 3BRS. The psychometric properties of the 3BRS, its utility, and its limitations are discussed along with considerations for future research.

Facilitadores e barreiras percebidos por pessoas com cegueira congênita para a prática de atividade física

The physical activity is an important element for a healthy lifestyle. However, among people with visual impairments, this practice is reduced, which makes this group as being at risk for developing diseases associated with physical inactivity. This study aims to investigate facilitators and barriers perceived by persons with congenital blindness to physical activity. Two focus groups were conducted with eleven subjects with congenital blindness, six female and five male, age mean 34 years (+7 years). The results showed two broad categories: “main facilitators to physical activity” and “main barriers to physical activity”. The facilitators (family, specialist Physical Education teachers, adapted materials, and recognition of the benefits) and barriers (family, unprepared Physical Education teachers, limited infrastructure in physical activity centers, feelings of exclusion in Physical Education classes, difficulty in spatial ability and motor coordination) reported by participants were complex and multifaceted, with social, environmental and personal origins. Considering the benefits of physical activity, it is essential that professionals adapt strategies for inclusion and appropriate participation of the congenitally blind, enabling them to explore different possibilities of movement and relationship to the world, which may act positively on the biological, psychological and social development.

Exercício físico na osteogênese imperfeita

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disorder of the connective tissue, characterized by bone fragility and low bone density, with a broad spectrum of clinical expression. Oriented physical exercise is recognized as a relevant conservative treatment option. Objective: To gather and systematize knowledge related to physical fitness testing, choosing exercises, load progression, and training systematization for persons with OI. Method: Databases from SciELO, LILACS, MedLine, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, PEDro and the Cochrane BVS were searched. Two independent reviewers selected the eligible studies. All randomized controlled clinical trials, transversal exploratory studies, case reports, and experience reports that described physical exercise intervention and physical fitness testing; general rules for physical activity and reported physical activity effects were included. Results: The electronic search yielded a total of 961 references published in English, Portuguese, French, and German. After analyzing previously established inclusion criteria, 9 studies were included, only two of which were controlled clinical trials. All the recommendations and conclusions found were oriented toward children, since all the studies had this population as a target. Only two studies included samples of adolescents up to the age of 12 years. OI types I and IV were investigated and some of the recommendations were extended to the other types of OI. Swimming is the exercise recommended most often. Strengthening exercises, with a slow addition of weight were also recommended, as well as aerobic exercises on bicycles, stationary or not. There are some special considerations in handling and treatment for this public that should be taken to avoid trauma. Conclusion: It was possible to obtain some systematization and orientation to conduct conservative treatment interventions with a physical exercise program; however, evidence to support any prescribed exercise and training development for persons with OI is still scarce.